A 10-YEAR-OLD deaf boy was plucked from the sea in a dramatic rescue after being washed from a pier.

Josh Griffin was playing when waves dragged him into the icy waters near Hartlepool.

As he struggled to stay afloat and was washed further out to sea, the asthmatic youngster was spotted by a passer-by.

Coastguard bosses hailed two mystery rescuers as heroes after trying to pull the youngster from the water. One man went into the water in a bid to reach the boy and another man who had also spotted the drama dived in to help.

As they tried to reach the stricken youngster, lifeboat crews joined the rescue and plucked Josh from the waves.

Josh, who lives with his grandmother in Hartlepool, is believed to have been in the water for around 15 minutes.

The youngster was washed from the pier near the Steetley Chemical works at around 7.30pm on Tuesday.

Both men left the scene by the time other emergency services arrived and a member of the lifeboat crew managed to communicate with the youngster with sign language to get some basic details.

The boy was taken to Hartlepool RNLI lifeboat station by the inshore lifeboat crew where he was given oxygen before being taken to the University Hospital of North Tees as a precaution.

A spokesman for the Humber Coastguard said: “A young man went into the water to save the young boy and then came into difficulty.

“An older man, believed to be about 55, then went in to save them both. The young boy was pulled out of the water and taken to the lifeboat station.

“He wasn’t seriously injured but he was suffering from shock and he also suffered from asthma which made matters worse. It is hard to stand by when you see a child drowning and the actions of both men was very heroic.”

It is believed there were four adults and the boy’s sister with him when the incident first happened.

Mike Craddy, RNLI lifeboat operations manager, said: “It is always frightening when you get a report of a child in the water. It was a great team effort from all the crew at Hartlepool Lifeboat station and we hope that the young boy makes a speedy recovery.”